yes they get stuck in the valves of the pump, which consists of 2 check valves in series. there would be no reason to put a check valve before the filter, there is already 2 of them in your fuel pump. Apparently you didn't do a complete rebuild of your pump, as you would have replaced the 2 valves in said pump. There is a suction valve which is a one way valve,(check valve) which allows the fuel to flow into the diaphragm chamber, the discharge valve which is also a one way valve which stays closed on the inlet portion of the pump action because it is a check valve, and only allows flow one way. Then on the discharge portion of the pump action the discharge valve opens allowing fuel to go out of the pump. and the suction valve closes because it is also a one way valve. I hope this explains the operation of the fuel pump. You can use the glass portion on a new fuel pump, you just have to swap that part with the top of the new one. Thats how I got my cool glass fuel pump filter installed. As MY clear filter drained out in about 2 minutes. I have to put gas down the carb nearly every time I start my truck, have done it for years. I guess I could just crank it till it got fuel, but this is easy on me and easy on the starter.
